Misleading Signals
by Randomlackey
Summary: Altair, lonely? Malik must be insane... right? But, he supposed, there's no harm in humoring the rafique. Nasira had been so good at keeping a low profile. Suddenly, she seems to have attracted the attention of the most terrifying being to ever walk the earth. At least, that's how she saw him. All she wants is to return to peacefully going unnoticed by those around her. Altairxoc.
1. I Don't Want to Be Alone Anymore

**hi there! it's me! the random lackey that... no one knows... right... always the faceless grunt... well not today! today I break out! I become... *dramatic buildup* a faceless fanfiction writer! bet the bosses never saw that coming.**

**But I've rambled enough about nonsense, onto the sensical ramblings. so, this is... probably going to be very slow updating. just to warn anyone who doesn't like to wait long for unfinished stories to continue. I've been obsessing over assassins creed waaaaaaaay too much recently and I desperately needed an outlet for my unhealthy infatuation with Altair... somehow playing any of the games just makes my love for Altair stronger...**

**I do not own AC, though I am the type who would write fanfiction about something I own...**

**Masyaf 1193**

The sun had just finished its decent behind the castle walls of Masyaf, dimming the light upon Altair's desk within the upper floor of the library significantly. Now his only light came from the torches scattered along the pillars and walls. Fortunately, he was nearly done with his work for the day. Sending off the last of the carrier pigeons, Altair could finally retire for the night.

Holding back what felt like a rather dramatic yawn, Altair left the study to return to his room. It had been more than a few weeks since he had gone out on a mission. Staying cooped up in his study, writing letters, giving orders, studying minute details from templar documents for information on their plans. Somehow he never felt quite this tired when he was out traveling, accomplishing the missions himself, instead of handing them off to others. He had been getting restless, bored. To put it simply, Altair felt a part of his life was lacking in... something. Though what he might be lacking wasn't entirely clear to him.

Boredom was prominent, yes, but were action and adventure really all he wanted? or was it a sense of normalcy, perhaps? During the recent weeks of inactivity Altair's thoughts had often begun to wander. He would find himself thinking of what it might be like to enter his room and be greeted, not by silence, but by a woman. As he opened the door he would watch her turn her head when she hears him. Her face would light up with a subtle smile as her eyes land on his face. Maybe she would walk up to him to show some form of affection. Would she kiss his cheek? take his hands in hers? embrace him?

Again he found himself thinking of this woman, a blank canvas, really, just waiting for the features to be filled in by a real person. But when he arrived at his room and opened the door he was once more greeted only by the quiet sounds of night in Masyaf. These thoughts were pestering him almost daily now. But was this truly what he wanted? he might not want a relationship. perhaps it was his boredom showing through, it could be he just wanted something new in his life, a change. It had been over two years since much had changed for him, after all, and Altair had grown accustomed to constant changes during his life.

Unfortunately, being the mentor of an assassins brotherhood isn't exactly the best position for meeting women. There were no women in the brotherhood, save the servants, not that it would have been acceptable to court a subordinate even if there were any female assassins. Nor could he think finding a woman while out on a mission to be possible. Altair had never tried this method himself, but he had overheard some of the stories from young inexperienced assassins as they would attempt to court a woman before or after a mission. A few even had the audacity to flirt while running from guards.

Readying himself for bed, Altair returned to his musings, picturing the faceless woman once more, fussing over his eating habits, setting up a warm bath. rubbing the tense muscles in his shoulders. The scenarios flowed through his mind, quickly relaxing him into a state of drowsiness.

This had to stop, he needed to regain control over his mind. Malik was to arrive in the castle in the morning, perhaps he would ask for a bit of advice, he would likely notice his friend's wandering attention anyway.

"The _great Altair_ is lonely!" the exclamation was accompanied by a sharp, bark like laughter that Altair could have sworn even the novices practicing in the courtyard could hear. Altair had much preferred his companion's initial reaction.

Finding a time to tell Malik of his troubles had not been difficult, he had met Malik on his way to the dining hall for lunch and opted to join him. They were sitting at a table eating their curry, enjoying a comfortable silence. At least Malik had been, Altair, on the other hand, had been straining to find some way to begin his speech. It had only taken five minutes before the other man had noticed Altair's troubled mind.

After a somewhat vague description of his recent struggles, Altair had gained the rare honor of having astounded the quick witted assassin. Malik's eyes had glossed over, his chin had drooped ever so slightly, and Altair was sure even his breathing had paused. Unfortunately, this hadn't lasted long before he had transitioned to this mocking laughter.

Almost growling, Altair responded "unless you would like some evidence of your cooperation with templars to conveniently be brought to the attention of the brotherhood, I would suggest you end this mockery". Malik didn't seem to take his threat very seriously however, as seen by the lingering smile and the laughter shining in his eyes.

"Altair, if it is your word against mine, I am not so sure anyone would believe you." that infuriating smile could even be _heard_. The glare Altair was aiming at him must have had some effect, because he attempted to straighten his face before saying "fine, fine, you are not lonely. You only wish to enrich some girl's life with your glorious presence, is that it? So tell me, just where is this poor woman you hope to grace with your affections?"

Malik seemed to be taking this a bit too lightly for Altair, the irritation was prominent in his narrowed eyes and the flat tone as he spoke. "there is no woman. the last woman I truly spoke with was a captive templar."

"Well, perhaps tat wouldn't have been a good starting point... But really Altair, there are as many opportunities as you make for yourself. Go for a walk, spend a few evenings in the tavern down in the village, or if you're truly that desperate you could try Yamiir's method. He put a knife to her throat thinking she was a spy when they first met. They got to know each other rather well when he kidnapped her for interrogation. I hear the wedding is in August." He was barely stopping himself from gesturing with his spoon as he listed them off, though he couldn't keep the empty sleeve of his robe from swaying as he leaned back against his chair.

Malik made it sound so... simple. But small talk had never been a strong suit of Altair's. What would he even say to those women? _excuse me, I've been thinking of finding a wife, would you like to fill that position?_ no, that certainly wouldn't work. "And just how do you expect me to interact with any of them? I can't exactly discuss much of my life with them. We have a lot of secrets to keep in this line of work"

"Well, you might start by saying hello. That is how most conversations begin" The audacity of this man. Rolling his eyes at the mentor of the assassins, in other words: his own boss. Had it been anyone else they would likely have been forced to endure some terrible challenge of their physical abilities. However, even Altair respected Malik too much for such a thing.

Altair didn't have much to say in response to that, instead, he asked what sort of topics women might enjoy speaking about. The answer was less than satisfactory. "Unfortunately, I can't be considered an expert on courting, I don't have much of a romantic life myself." the rest of the meal passed with the two of them quietly discussing plans for how Altair might even meet a female. soon, they had finished their lunch and had to return to work.

Just as they rounded the first corner upon leaving the dining hall, Malik's face alighted with a smirk, his eyes glinting with humor. "how convenient, it seems you won't have to search long to find that woman of yours. She even looks to be in need of assistance! A perfect reason to interact with her." For at the other end of the hall, there was indeed, a young woman. Wearing a functional looking, faded gray dress and struggling to carry two large crates. Presumably, she was headed in the direction of the kitchen, just around the corner they had come from. Her name eluded Altair, but he knew who she was, she worked in the kitchen.

"Go ahead, Dazzle me with your charms. Or at the very least try to dazzle her" Malik thought this whole situation was hilarious. _The_ Altair, this headstrong, arrogant, prideful man had come to malik for advice. That in itself was not so odd, Malik had been Altair's most trusted adviser since he had become mentor. What was strange was that it was a personal matter and of all things about his love life, and Malik simply could not contain his glee.

Glaring at the grinning assassin, Altair stalked over to the young woman, all the while frantically searching his brain for something to say. _Say something...but what to say?... Ah! Those boxes look too heavy for her. _ Soon he would be right in front of her, He didn't feel ready for this. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, only a small breath came through his parted lips. Luckily, she was too busy watching her feet to notice his rather awkward approach. Altair could feel Malik's amused stare at his hesitation, it irked him more than he would have expected.

Trying again Altair cleared his throat, imagining all of his nervousness escaping his body along with the sound. She started a bit at the sound, stopping just before she'd taken a step that would have caused the corners of the crates to brush against his left arm. "would you like some help? you seem to be struggling." The request sounded forced, even to his own ears.

Clearly not expecting to be offered any kind of assistance, the woman looked up surprise evident in her raised eyebrows. "um, yes tha-" But the surprise was rapidly replaced by another emotion as she trailed off, something Altair did not recognize. Wide eyes, flushed cheeks, the hesitant smile that had begun to form upon hearing his offer immediately dropped, her lips didn't seem to know where to position themselves anymore. "that... um... that's alright, I can carry them on my own, thank you."

Hurriedly removing her gaze from his face, she rushed past him, down the hall, and around the corner. _That... did not go as I expected..._ Altair could hear Malik's footsteps coming closer to him as he stood, more confused than he had been in a long time. "Malik... did I do something wrong? Even my targets don't run off that quickly if they spot me."

But Malik wasn't listening, he was muttering quietly to himself, his one hand holding his chin. "This might be easier than I thought"

"Easy? did you miss the part where she ran away? Because she did not seem very open to my offer of help, I doubt she would have responded well had I attempted to strike up a conversation, much less flirt with her." Keeping his voice down was difficult, the volume of his speech rising and falling whenever he caught himself losing control of his tone. His arms came up and quickly fell back to his sides again in exasperation.

"You didn't notice?" that smile was back on his face. that irritatingly amused smile. What would it take for this man to take his plight seriously? "Because the way she reacted when she saw you would generally indicate attraction. The blushing, the nervous behavior. Perhaps it won't be as difficult to find a woman as you thought."

Altair could not believe it would be so easy, there was no way that the exact day he had brought his problem to light he would find a woman interested in him. Though Malik was right, those were common signs of attraction. Begrudgingly humoring him "if she were attracted to me why would she be so quick to leave?"

"Shy?" He shrugged off the question. there are plenty of reasons she might have left. she could be shy, or maybe she felt intimidated, Altair was a rather imposing figure, and of course, technically, he was her employer. "Do not worry too much over this, you'll see her again, next time just don't let her run off and she might become a little more comfortable if you lose the frown. I'm sure you can find some excuse to speak with her"

Maybe Malik was right, she worked in the castle, she wouldn't exactly be difficult to find again. Altair would have plenty of chances to speak to her in the future and get to know her. She was one if the few woman near enough to consider after all. With this thought in mind the two high ranked assassins continued to their destinations, Malik speaking of some intriguing points made by the book he had recently finished.

As the two separated, Altair began to consider just what he might say if he met her again. Malik was right, 'Hello' would probably be the best place to start... Perhaps from there, he should discover her name.


	2. A Day in the Life

**yes, I have returned! just as there are millions of me in games you must suffer through my reappearance even now!**

**Somehow, the moment I put up the first chapter, my mind went blank as to what I had intended to do next with this. otherwise this probably would have been here... last week or something, but I am lazy. And running around as shay trying to unlock all the cheats and blowing up other ships is far too entertaining for me.**

**Anyway, now that I have done this, I'll probably feel better about writing the rest. character introductions are the worst and I had to do two in this one (I made the last one just not be there this time to put it off...). honestly the only reason I didn't give the main oc a family is because I did NOT want to have to come up with any more characters, along with deciding the chemistry they would have with Nasira. After all, I've not written much for entertainment and I'd like to practice something without too much stress or complicated plot.**

**onwards to the introductions!**

Why did it have to be him? Of all the people in this fortress she could have met that day, why did it have to be this man? For standing in front of Nasira was only the most terrifying man to have ever walked this earth. At least, that's what she thought of him. Most people would likely just call him the mentor of the assassins.

Her brain was completely frozen. What was she supposed to do now? He had said something to her, hadn't he? She had been in the middle of answering when she had seen his face and all thought had left her. He was just standing there, more like looming… looking at her with his unnaturally hued eyes. She assumed that is, Nasira couldn't even bring herself to glance up at his face a second time. His all too near face. Though he must have been a couple of feet away, even being in the same room as he was too much for her.

'_wait… what did he say to me again? Boxes! He said something about boxes!'_

Finally, Nasira's wits returned to her just enough to recall his offer of help. That could have been a disaster, she had almost agreed. Stuttering out the politest refusal she could manage in her poor mental state, the young woman swiftly made her escape towards the kitchen.

Once again, as she began sorting the laundry into proper cupboards, she was forced to consider this fear. This near phobia of Altair was something that any who knew of had called irrational, as he had never done anything that had negatively affected her that she could think of. Many of his actions were actually quite beneficial to her way of life in recent years. In truth, seeing him in the hallway had been her very first direct interaction with the mentor.

She had seen him in action once before, four years ago, when Masyaf had been invaded and Al Maulim had been taken hostage. Perhaps that was when the fear had truly begun to set in. Hiding between a few bushes, she'd had a clear view of one of the scuffles as he singlehandedly took down seven men on his way to the fortress, without taking a single blow himself. No human should be able to move in such ways. Nasira had heard many of the other servants refer to the sparring matches between the higher ranked fighters as though they were a dance. Personally, she had never been able to understand this. Dancing was supposed to be pleasing and beautiful. Not a horrific bloodbath of weapons and flailing limbs, as one man falls to the other's superior skills.

Of course, his ability in battle wasn't the only reason for her seemingly unfounded fear. Al Maulim had held an artifact so powerful that he had taken control over the minds and bodies of an entire village filled with warriors. Not to mention, even being an older man, he was still quite skilled in combat himself. Yet Altair had somehow overcome any hold over his mind and killed the previous mentor. How could a single man take on such a threat and succeed? Now, of course, Altair was in possession of the artifact, meaning at any point he could use it himself.

Clearly, he was a demon in disguise. Or perhaps he was some sort of demigod… Nasira had just finished sweeping the various dirt that had collected on the floor when this occurred to her. Despite his overwhelmingly frightening image, she began to imagine just what he might oversee, were Altair truly a demigod. War, certainly, but there were always multiple facets to their reign. Maybe it would be something impressive, like Eagles. Many called him the eagle of Masyaf after all. But Nasira preferred to imagine it would be something exceptionally specific, such as half melted ice, or neglected blades

Thoughts of possible domains in mind, Nasira began her trek through the service entrance on the side of the castle, past the two guards on duty, and down the steep hill towards her small home near the center of town. It wasn't a grand dwelling by any means, but it suited her needs just fine. All she ever did there was sleep and make dinner anyway. She hardly even ate at home most days.

As usual, today she would be bringing dinner to Kaaf and his sister's home to share. Neither of the two had much patience for cooking and she liked the company it provided. Unfortunately, it barred her from eating quite as broadly as she would have liked. Kaaf was such a picky eater. No spicy food, he only liked long grain rice, nothing with chickpeas. The list went on for what seemed like eternity.

**Later that evening**

Kaaf kept a tidy home, it always seemed to have been freshly cleaned. It was larger than her own house, though not by much. Stepping inside, bearing the usual pot holding the main dish, and knowing that Zaina would have prepared the side of rice, she always insisted on at least doing that much, since Nasira brought them dinner so often. There was never a need to exchange pleasantries upon her arrival, she would simply let herself in and go about preparing the table for dinner. Most days, Kaaf and his sister would barely noticed her arrival until she would announce that the meal was ready.

Calling out to gather the other two into the room, she set the pot of already prepared rice onto the table next to the main dish. Odd, the rice was much colder today than normal, she must have made it early that evening. As Kaaf shuffled into the room his smile seemed rather hesitant and flustered, not his usual jovial grin. Telltale signs of what was to come. However, he only did this when they were alone, was his sister not here?

"It is good to see you Nasira. Zaina requested that I inform you, she has other plans and will not be joining us for dinner this evening." Another sign, the formal way of speaking that he only used when he was nervous. There was only one thing that would make Kaaf nervous around Nasira after all the years they had known each other. "wait, wait, before we eat, let me light few candles. I would like the atmosphere to be more-"

'_Just how many times do I have to refuse for him to understand?'_

Trying her best, but not quite succeeding, to hold back the exasperated sigh and keep the irritation from her tone, she cut off his attempts, hoping to divert the course of this night before he could go ay farther. "Kaaf, you have asked me hundreds, likely thousands, of times by now. My answer remains the same. Please, just let us enjoy this meal." The prolonged silence that followed her proclamation was near painful. It was not her intention to hurt the poor man, but he had to understand, she was perfectly fine on her own.

Aside from Zaina, Kaaf was her closest friend, yet after her father had passed on, his responsible ways had gotten the best of him. Had he ever truly wanted this for himself, Nasira might have considered his proposals more carefully. However, she knew it was nothing more than his own desire to be a good friend, both to her and her father, that had distorted his feelings into what he though was more than friendship. How could it be anything else? Not once before her father had passed had he shown any sign of something more than just friendly affection towards her.

For, in these many years, Kaaf had taken every chance he could to ask for her hand in marriage. Sometimes he would make a big deal out of it, trying to be romantic like tonight, others, he would casually ask her as they were enjoying tea and light conversation. This incessant repetition was nothing short of infuriating to Nasira.

Probably his worst proposal had been when she was preparing to move out of their house, when she could finally afford to live on her own. He had said something so offensive, to all women and their ability to look after themselves, that she dared not repeat it even to herself. Of course, in the very next moment, he had registered what he had said. He had apologized to her every time he saw her for three whole weeks. It wasn't until she had told him that his apologies were making her more angry than his comment that he'd stopped.

Once they had finished their meal, neither having said a word since the obvious rejection, Nasira determined that it might be better to just go home and rest. Most nights she would have stayed to socialize for an hour or two, but the atmosphere had remained oddly strained. It was unusual for him not to pick himself up after a rejection. The last time he had said anything about it he had been back to his gleeful ways almost immediately. Perhaps she had been too harsh…

"good night Kaaf, When Ziana gets home tell her I said hello." Just after she opened the door she turned back, knowing that she couldn't just walk out and leave him with this awkwardness hanging over them. "and… I'm sorry if I was too harsh earlier."

Having made her apology, she hurriedly stepped through the door, closing it behind her. While she hadn't wanted to be so cold, having another of those apologetic "let's fix this" conversations, was not how she wanted to spend her night. Talking about feelings was nothing short of cumbersome for her. If only there were some way to instantaneously transfer the emotional intent behind her actions into the other's mind without needing to have a drawn out talk about them. It was so easy to misunderstand when having those conversations.

Now that she was outside, she wanted nothing more than to go home, take a bath, and fall asleep. Tomorrow would be much the same as any other day, wake up early, make the steep walk up the hill, prepare breakfast and lunch for the assassins, then journey home, before fixing dinner for Zaina and Kaaf once again. It was all very routine and that was how she liked it. Today's events in the hallway had been more exciting than anything she could recall in the past five months.

It was not until she had stepped out of the bath that it occurred to her: she had left her cookware at Kaaf's house. Not that it mattered, she could pick it up the next evening, but she was generally so organized. Forgetting the pot only proved to her how frustrated she had been.

Just before dozing off she went through her plan for tomorrow once more. After work she needed to go to the market, then back again to her house to start preparing dinner. She had recently lost one of her dresses to a dreadful tear that even Zaina was unable to mend. Maybe she would buy one with some color this time, most of her clothing was quite bland, grays, browns, or dark blues mainly. Planning out just what style she would want, trying to distract herself from any guilt over having hurt kaaf, she drifted off at last.


	3. Caught In the Lie

**That's right, I have crawled out from under my two obsessively clingy cats, just long enough to go somewhere with wifi and post this.**

**Trying to type with a kitten sitting on your arm, while adorable, is really hard. but I couldn't move her… she only has about 20 minutes every week that she gets sleepy enough to sit quietly and not try to rip my arms to shreds. Whenever she gets this way, she really does just flop down on whatever part of my body is closest.**

**Small talk. Small talk is bad. I cannot do the small talks. If it isn't about cats or about food, I am unsure how to speak of it. So, if the small talk within this chapter seems awkward and forced… that's because it is.**

The day had been a disaster. The rice flour had, mistakenly, not been included in their usual order that morning, one worker hadn't shown up at all, and another, after having dropped three whole gallons of soaking beans onto the floor, had left, nearly in tears, within an hour of coming in. With so much extra work, it was to be expected that Nasira would be leaving a couple hours late, stomach grumbling from having no time to even scarf down a few bites of her own lunch due to the mad rush to finish on time. The panic that days like this aroused in other people was absurd, it only serves to cause more problems, but she knew the rush just went their heads

The boss in particular was nearly going out of his mind trying to make everything happen at a pace physically impossible. Shouting was not an unusual occurrence, but the generally good-natured yells across the large, noisy room, simply to relay some joke or other, had quickly become impatient cries of outrage. Everyone knew not to take the bosses shouts personally on a day like this, but the insults could wound a person, nonetheless.

Between the shouting, the hunger, and the overwork, Nasira wanted nothing more than to sit and stare at a wall for a few hours with a bowl of something crunchy to munch on. Walking out of the kitchen and starting her walk out of the castle she passed several servants chatting happily in groups, and cheerful novices looking to impress their friends with tales of their most recent assignments.

'_How can people be so happy all the time? Don't they have any idea the misery people go through just to feed them?'_

Nothing was going to slow her down. She had a dress to buy, dinner to make, and an awkward apology to finish by the end of the day. '_Further distractions are not allow-'_ Just as Nasira turned the next corner, she saw a most fearsome sight. Something so horrendous, so vile, she immediately scurried back to where she had just been. The mentor was headed this way.

'_What now? What do I do? Did he see me? I don't think he did… He was looking down at some scroll. He's coming this way! Hide!'_

Crouching behind one end of a conveniently located cabinet was her only option. There were few doors in this hall, but she knew none of them were available to her. She couldn't bring herself to look as he passed, she kept her front facing the cabinet, head down, staring intensely at the floor. Had she been able to hear his footsteps it would have been much easier to gauge his location and determine when she could leave. Such an ability would have also made his inquiry to her much less of a surprise.

"Just what… are you doing?" Truth be told, Altair had been watching her for several moments before he could bring himself to ask, hoping to understand her reasoning. He had caught a glimpse of her rushing back around the corner when she had seen him. She was clearly hiding from him, but for what purpose? All he could assume is that she was terribly shy and didn't know how to approach people.

Of course, she would be unable to hide, he was some sort of demigod after all. How could she have expected him not to have noticed? Turning around, but still not looking up she fumbled for a reason "I… uhh…" '_Just what kind of excuse is going to get me out of this? I'm sitting on the floor like a fool! The floor! Yes!'_ "I dropped something. I am… I'm simply looking for it"

'_it could have been better, but it sounded… believable enough… right?'_

Dropped something? He could have, and nearly had, laughed at the pitiful excuse. But this could be a chance to interact with her, maybe if he played along for a little while he would have a chance to speak with her. Besides, Malik would have his head if he passed up this opportunity. "I'll help you look for it, what did you drop?"

Absolutely not, there was no way. Was he on to her ruse? Did he have some ulterior motive for being unnecessarily helpful toward strangers? Or was he legitimately just trying to be of assistance to others? "no, no, I… I won't… I couldn't ask you to do that, I'll find it on my own." Gesturing almost wildly with her hands, she only hoped he didn't see her panic.

Altair had expected the refusal, after all, this was just a sham. Regardless, it brought a minuscule smile to his lips. Terrible as he may be for thinking this way, her distress was… amusing. Crouching down to her level, hoping to ease the tension in her face, he pressed on. "I insist. I have some time before I'm needed elsewhere."

"Really, I don't want to inconvenience you. I'm sure you have much more important things to… do…" Merely the look in his eyes was enough to make her lose the will to argue. She wished she hadn't looked up at him. Clearly, he would not be backing down. If she waited a little while, perhaps he would just give up and leave. "Alright, it was… my… my necklace. The chain must have broken." Nasira knew full well, her necklace was still in its rightful place, around her neck, hidden under her dress. Wearing jewelry was prohibited in the kitchen, but she liked having it on, the weight around her neck was comforting.

Good, she had agreed without any more trouble. Though it wasn't like he would have given her the chance to refuse. Standing, he made to help her up, but as she saw his hand moving, she grabbed the edge of the cabinet above her and rushed to pull herself up. "where might you have dropped it?"

"um…" _'better not to involve anyone else in this. As long as we don't enter the kitchen no one should question us' _"Somewhere in the back hallways, between the servant's entrance and the kitchen door. It wouldn't be anywhere in the kitchen though. I'd have seen it while I was cleaning up." Nasira couldn't look in his eyes, she was afraid he knew it was a fraud. But if he knew why not just call her out? No, had he known he would have said so from the start.

Ten minutes into the search and he seemed just as determined as before. The two had been meandering their way through the halls, eyes glued to the ground. In total silence. Nasira was too afraid to speak, wondering why he hadn't gotten frustrated and left yet, and Altair was busy trying to look like he was searching. Of course, he wasn't looking, nothing was lost. Instead, he spent this time examining the girl next to him.

Unremarkable, that was the most suitable word that came to mind. She was perfectly average. With small, slightly slanted brown eyes, longer, light brown hair tied back in a braid, rather thin facial features, and a lean build that showed clear signs of years of manual labor. Even after a full day of work she still looked quite well kept. Her hair remained mostly contained within the braid, only a few strands had broken free, and her dress remained smooth and mostly unstained from the work. Though he could see a few very faded splotches of grease that had likely just been impossible to wash out.

Her nervous behavior was the only thing about her that looked particularly out of place. The fingers of her left hand shook as they toyed with the end of her braid, her eyes flitting about as she pretended to search. What could he do to make her feel more at ease? Maybe if he broke the silence. But what to say…? Well, his goal was to get to know her, he supposed he should start with the basics. "We've not been properly introduced. You are?" There was no need to give his own name, anyone living in Masyaf already knew him.

Visibly jolting at the introduction, she paled. _'what could possibly make him want to know who I am? Unless… he wants to be able to find me in order to destroy everything I hold dear… no, no. that… that's ridiculous. Stop being so paranoid.'_ Registering that her silence looked a tad suspicious, she quickly blurted out her reply "N-Nasira. My name is Nasira."

Seems she wouldn't be reciprocating his attempt to converse, if the continued silence was anything to go by. Guess he needed to be more proactive. "How long have you worked in the castle? I can't recall when I started seeing you, so it must have been a few years at least."

Why was he… engaging in small talk with her? Surely these things weren't interesting to him, and she doubted he had any reason to ask. "six years." She would answer him, but it would be as short and as vague as possible.

Again, nothing extra. She might not have much to say. Asking such basic questions, it was probably difficult to come up with a long response. He could try asking something else. Safe topics… well, they were supposedly looking for a necklace, might as well ask about that. He wondered for a moment if she even had one, or if it had just been the first thing to come to mind. "This necklace must be important, if you're willing to spend so much time searching for it."

Important? Not at all, she had merely seen it one day, while walking through the market a couple years ago and, thinking it was pretty, decided she could afford to splurge on herself just a little. But she wouldn't be telling him that, not after all this. "it was… given to me by someone very special to me" her face started to flush a little, so she lowered her head, trying to hide it. Lying wasn't something she was used to. Though, she told herself to ease her conscience, this wasn't completely a lie, she was very special to herself after all.

There, she was lowering her guard. But someone special? Altair needed more information. While this necklace could be just as fake as the need to look for it, she may also be telling the truth about at least this. Should she already be taken by another man, he wouldn't want to get in the way of that. Look at this as a covert mission, he needed to be subtle, gather the knowledge, without being found out. Nasira didn't seem the type to welcome terribly forward questions. "Oh? You treasure it this much? Could you mean a romantic kind of special?"

Making a point of searching in a corner, behind one of the many plants that the servants liked to keep in the corridors, they claimed it helped people destress, he avoided her eyes. Altair didn't want to seem too invested in her answer, but how many ways could you ask if someone was already involved without being too obvious?

Answering was mostly by habit, Nasira was used to people asking about her relationship with Kaaf. So, busy bending down, pretending to investigate a crack in the floor, she denied the implication without much thought. "No, I don't have any attachments like that. Though one of my friends is always giving people the wrong impression… never mind, you probably don't care to hear about that" she had just remembered who she was talking to, she couldn't afford to tell him too much. What if he really did have some ulterior motives for asking? No, better to leave things vague.

Was this her personality, or did she not want to talk to him specifically? She had been so close to expanding on something without his prompting. At least he would be getting some conversational practice from all of this. Holding in his sighs was taking more effort with every verbal exchange.

The pair had almost made it to the kitchen, and she still had no intention of telling him the truth. Just how much longer would she need to pretend? Would he back down if she gave him another out? "you know, you really don't need to help me any longer. I'm sure you have something better to do than wonder the halls like this. Besides, someone else might have already picked it up."

"Trying to get rid of me? Sorry, I'm not one to give up." Such a natural smile, small as it might have been. Astounding. Nasira was not aware that this… creature… was capable of smiling. She had assumed that after killing as many people as he had it would be impossible show any positive emotion outwardly. There she went again, with her ridiculous delusions. _'Of course he can smile, he's still human… he is human… isn't he?'_ a question she had asked herself so many times, but was no closer to answering.

'_that isn't important right now! How am I supposed to get him to give up?' _Miserable situation in mind, she continued her 'search', as they made it to the kitchen and turned around to go back and search again. She could only keep this up for so long… he was no fool, eventually he would put the pieces together and call her out on this fraud. Nasira needed a solution, fast.


	4. No Easy Way Out

**I must have been exceptionally tired when I finished the last chapter. Because as I was rereading part of it to get my head set in that part of the story instead of in the very distant future (too many plans that can't come into play yet), I didn't recognize half the words as my own. For all I know, one of my cats wrote that for me.**

Another minute, gone from her life. Passed in frightened silence, beside a beast straight out of a nightmare. Had she not been counting the seconds in an attempt to calm her racing heart and pounding head, Nasira would have believed it had been two hours. But she couldn't calm down. Not after… that. She couldn't recall having felt more violated in her entire life. Her arm burned, the flesh of her bicep practically writhing in discomfort. Certain that it was, in fact, twitching, she couldn't help but stare in disbelief, eyes as wide as grapefruits, realizing that it looked perfectly normal, the offended skin utterly still.

What was she doing? Had it bothered her that much? Altair had only lightly brushed her arm with his own as he avoided running into her. Yet here she was, eyes glued to her upper arm, as though he had smeared dye all over her skin. She was the one who suddenly stopped in the center of the hall. If not for his quick reflexes he likely would have rammed into her back and sent at least her tumbling to the floor, if not himself as well.

Or perhaps… he had heard of this. Women would get so excited about a casual touch from someone they admired they would simply stare, unable to process what had happened. At least, that's what he had heard from some of the younger assassins. Until that moment, he had always thought it to be severe exaggeration. _'well' _he mused _'I suppose it's possible. I am a rather revered figure. But I sincerely hope that is not the case'_

Although, he was beginning to worry, ever so slightly. Nasira's breathing had been gradually increasing in volume and she had merely been standing there vacantly for over two minutes. Gentle to the point of sounding hesitant, he began "Nasira? Are you alright?" He hadn't wanted to startle her all of a sudden, but she hadn't responded in the least. Not even a twitch to show she had heard him.

Just as he started to reach out his hand, intending to give her shoulder a slight shake, she jumped back into action, moving further away from him by several inches. "Yes! …I'm alright, perfectly fine." Then why was she watching him with such suspicion in her gaze?

What had she been doing? Something about a necklace… looking for a necklace? Why was she looking for her necklace? She could clearly feel it hanging around her neck… That's right, she was pretending. She had only just come up with a plan to end this silly facade, when… when… _it_… happened. Now she was, once again, totally clueless as to what to do. Surely, it would come back to her with time, but Nasira didn't want to be in this situation any longer. Near that man any longer…

Right! How could she forget? Come to think of it… why had it not occurred to her much earlier? It was a simple plan, almost childish. But it was the best she could manage. Soon, Nasira would have the opportunity to conclude this charade. If she could just get around the next corner a few seconds before he could follow.

Before Altair could say anything, he was already beginning to open his mouth to press her, gently, on her odd behavior. Nasira cut him off. "well, we should move along then." If she said she was fine, then he would have to believe her. Though she wasn't acting fine. She still looked to be quite flustered. Her cheeks had a slightly pink tinge and her voice had quivered noticeably. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought he was concerned for her. She could have laughed at that. A monster like him, concerned? Impossible.

Without another word, Nasira started forward, and hurried around the corner, hoping to catch him slightly off-guard, to delay him. Just as she moved out of sight, she began pulling the necklace up around her neck and over her head. Noticing Altair's leg preceding the rest of him around the bend, she quickly clenched her fist around the chain, effectively hiding it from view.

He had seen something just then, just a small flash in the corner of his eye. She was acting suspicious, she had suddenly moved out of sight, only to look like she had been caught playing in a mud puddle. Looking her over, he easily noticed what she had done. One of Nasira's hands was clenched into a fist, only the one, Altair could almost see a faint glimmer of metal peeking out. So, he presumed, the necklace was, in fact, real. Maybe she had finally decided to end this.

He would continue to humor her. Better she thinks she's gotten away with it than to awkwardly explain why he allowed her to make a fool of herself. Though, he admitted to himself, it did hurt his pride to let anyone believe they had managed to fool him. As skilled and observant as his reputation would lead people to believe, the audacity required to even attempt to deceive Altair was… unimaginable. Or perhaps she simply hadn't thought it through.

This was it, Nasira was so close to breaking out of his presence, just a few more moments and she would find what she needed. There! a crack in the corner joining the wall and the floor. She couldn't remember either of them checking it on the first trek through the halls. If she merely waited until his head turned, she could show him proof that her necklace had been found, so to speak. Luckily, Altair was already distracting himself, checking the floor by a bookshelf laden with ornaments and candles just a few feet ahead of her. With his attention diverted, she began exacting her scheme.

Walk slowly, don't draw his attention. If he thought anything was suspicious, she would have to stall her plan for a few more precious minutes, if not have it completely ruined. Bending down, supposedly to inspect the crack, she made a point to brighten her facial expression, before reaching her hand towards it. "Here it is! I found it!" she didn't think her cheerful tone sounded very convincing, but it would have to do.

Altair had clearly seen her 'pick up' the article out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Nasira was greatly inexperienced in sleight of hand, or any other kind of deception. But the childish hopefulness he could hear in her voice, begging him to believe her, was… almost endearing. Almost. She seemed so innocent compared to the women he often saw in the streets during his missions: beggars hoping for coin, or prostitutes, probably looking to sell the secrets of their rich clients.

"I looked for it for this long, at least let me see it properly" he really was curious, after the time he had spent on this. She didn't hesitate to nod her head and lift her hand, letting the chain slide down until the pendant was visible. Swinging from the thin copper chain was a small emerald, set into the center of a small copper rose.

Only a few moments later, Nasira was already beginning to walk past him, rushing through her speech "well, I'll be on my way. Thank you for your help." Gone. She certainly hadn't bothered to wait around. Though he had done all he intended, he had interacted with her. For quite some time in fact. Altair actually felt slightly disappointed that she had been so quick to leave. He hadn't felt so relaxed in months. Then he would just have to find a way to spend more time with her. Finding some believable excuse couldn't be too difficult. Perhaps the next time she would even begin to relax a little.

As Nasira walked away from Altair, down the hall, out into the courtyard, past the guards, and toward the market, her plans for the day were overshadowed by a fierce need. The need for comfort. She could have slapped herself if she weren't in public. No, that could wait until she was safely inside, away from prying eyes. At the last moment, she swerved at a side street, startling a passing woman, nearly knocking the water jug from her hands, as she made her way toward Kaaf and Zaina's home. Surely, they wouldn't mind hosting her for a few extra hours before dinner. Though Kaaf was likely still working.

Bursting into the house, Nasira started calling out to her younger friend. "Zaina! Zaina, please help me!" It took only a few moments for the other woman to come charging into the entrance from the kitchen, her tan face scrunched up in concern. Zaina's grey eyes, the only feature she shared with her brother, seemed to pierce Nasira's very soul, searching for the cause of her distress.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" seeing that Nasira was not injured (physically at least) and that she would only be getting some blubbering and delusional muttering from Nasira, Zaina decided instead to focus on enjoying the tea she had only just finished making. It would be a shame to waste such high-quality tea after all. "Come, I'll pour you some tea and you can tell me while we drink."

Sitting down in her usual seat at the table, Nasira waited only a few moments for Zaina to finish pouring out the steaming, green tinted liquid. But it was enough to distract her. Even just smelling the tea had Nasira melting into the comforting familiarity of this scene. How many times had she sat here with Zaina, ceramic mugs in hand, ready to discuss some recent event? Dozens? Hundreds? "This smells different from your usual teas, it is new?" The grassy scent, associated with green tea leaves, hints of citrus fruits, just a touch of mint, and a slight floral note.

"I just got it last night from that friend of mine, I told you about him before, the merchant. He brought back a lot of new teas and offered me some. I'll have to ask him what he called it when I next see him. Now, just what was bothering you so much that you couldn't even speak properly when you came in?"

The tale took longer than it should have to relay, mostly due to Nasira being unable to continue when she was overcome with the memory of her fright. Several times. As well as Zaina interrupting while attempting to keep the amusement out of her expression. While she and Kaaf tried to respect Nasira's peculiar fear, it was, at times, greatly entertaining to listen to this opinion of the mentor Nasira kept. The poor man really did not deserve this sort of reaction, but no one had been able to convince her of that.

Finally, the story reached its conclusion, with Nasira admitting that she should have been able to come up with her solution much earlier. Zaina's expression, having put all the pieces together and recalled the beginning of her friends misfortune, was cold and flat, her large eyes openly showing her disapproval. "Nasira, darling, you do know that none of that would have happened had you simply continued walking past him like a normal human being, right?"


	5. No One Else

She could hear her own dainty and very feminine cries for help echoing through the cool night air of Acre. Dim light from the stars glinting off the metal parts of three town guards' armor as they cornered her by a well. There was no moon to speak of that night, there was just enough cloud coverage to hide it from sight, casting eerie shadows over the faces of her assailants, adorned with feral grins, detailing their immense pleasure at her predicament.

Running away had only seemed to entertain them, she was no athlete, had they not been toying with her she wouldn't have even made it five feet. Instead they had allowed her to run for a good eight minutes, letting her tire herself out she presumed, before they grew impatient with the chase. Still, despite knowing that, she had run all the same.

Had she done anything wrong? She couldn't remember having commit any crimes recen… well… she had… borrowed… a few coins from her father to buy herself a new ribbon for her hair. Without telling him… and no way to pay him back. At least not yet. She would get there. One day. But she doubted anyone other than her parents would be concerned about such an act.

Ah, there she went again, even in mortal peril she was allowing her thoughts to wonder. Perhaps she should work on honing her mind a bit lat- _'Stop it already! You're about to be violated or murdered or both, for who knows what! Take your life seriously for once!'. _Now she was mentally referring to herself in second person again. Another issue she needed to work on.

There were few people on the streets at this time of night. Those that were still wondering about turned a blind eye to the scene before them. Not that she blamed any of them. Had someone attempted to help they would likely have been wounded at best, killed at worst. These guards were beyond rational thought, she hadn't gotten close enough to smell it on them, but she assumed there was alcohol or drug use worsening their behavior

The distance between her and the guards was swiftly being reduced. She could back up no farther, lest she topple backwards straight into the well. Her calves were already brushing the short wall. So, it was over, she was at the mercy of seemingly merciless men. She had never had any real aspirations in life, no dreams she needed to accomplish, though she had always wanted to have a pet bird. But she simply could not believe it would end like this, used, beaten and tossed aside by a group of ruffians. She had only just celebrated her 18th day of birth a couple of months prior. Her grandmother always said early deaths were such a shame.

'_Will grandma also say that about me? Shake her head and morn another young soul lost?'_

All this time she had been tuning out the banter they had been exchanging. Comparing themselves. Placing bets on who could make her scream the loudest was their current topic. The one on the left came forward suddenly. "Well we won't get anywhere just talking about it! I go first then!"." He had his hand on her arm, his grip harsh, it was too warm, she felt like her skin would melt off at the contact.

He was reaching his other hand forward, the other men cheering him on, like some perverse audience. She tried to pull away, but all she got in return was a backhand to the cheek. His gauntlet had broken the skin. Cuts and a bruise. Wonderful. Her cries grew louder, maybe, just maybe, somewhere nearby was some kind, heavily armed hero. However, she knew such hopes were futi- "If you wish to leave here with all of your limbs intact, I suggest you release her"

That deep sultry growl… for the rest of her life, the sound of that man's voice would be ingrained in her memory. Never would she allow it to fade. He sounded so calm, confident, but the anger was unmistakable. The three guards were frantically searching for the source of the voice, just as she was, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, the clouds parted, and in that very moment, a tall, imposing figure jumped from a low rooftop, landing behind the guards, directly in a beam of moonlight. So gallant, so daring, his skin was practically glowing, one might even say he was sparkling. How many heroics did someone have to preform before they achieved this heavenly, glittering aura?

Staring at this mysterious knight in his pristine white robes and armor was all she could muster. What little of his face she could see was absolute perfection. Such a finely chiseled jaw with firmly set lips. She could have stood there for hours, just watching him stand there, but he had other plans. The fight was over in only a few moments. His precisely calculated movements easily cutting off any form of resistance from his opponents. She could barely follow the movements with her eyes; everything was happening too fast.

"Are you alright?" he was standing before her now, still shining brighter than any of the stars the sky had to offer, his foes lying on the hard ground. She wasn't sure if they were still alive, but she couldn't bring herself to care much. All she could see was that man, his robes had some blood splattered on them now, staining the pure white a deep crimson and… a dark reddish brown? Surely the blood couldn't have dried that quickly… no matter. He was here, with her, protecting her. That was all that mattered.

She couldn't speak, his presence was too overwhelming, she only barely managed to nod her head in reply. "Good" oh wow. Even his sigh was a thing of beauty. "You should get out of here before someone shows up. Go home. Stay inside for the time being." With those words he turned his back, vanishing into the night just as suddenly as he had appeared. But she thought she had seen one corner of his lips turn upwards at the last moment. A parting smile? She wanted him to smile at her again…

"wait… don't go…"

We won't be going anywhere if you don't get up already!" One of the stewards, he was always so serious. Unlike many of the others, he had not been so happy about escorting Amali, with her destination being so far out of their way.

The exclamation was enough to have her jolting up from her place on the floor of the caravan. Her favorite napping spot. The swaying of the carriage achieved the perfect rhythm to lull her into peaceful slumber. But they weren't swaying anymore. Had they arrived? How very fitting, to wake from her recurring dream, a dream of the night she fell in love, to find herself in the very city where she might find her hero once more. She had waited quite some time for this, one year three months and twenty-seven days, to be exact. Counting the days had not been intentional, but she hadn't been able to stop herself.

Amali had traveled from her hometown of Acre for one thing and one thing only: to find the man who had saved her life and to make him return her feelings. well… technically that was two things, but she wouldn't debate semantics with herself now. If there was any way to win his affections, she would do it, anything at all. Nothing could stop her.

"sorry miss, but we have a schedule to keep, I'd love to help you more but… we've already done all we can afford. You have a place to stay in town, don't you?" Kind man that he was, Seran was still so worried about her. Unable to find anyone to escort her to Masyaf, she had tried bribing merchants and travelers, but she simply did not have coin enough to entice any of them. Eventually, she had broken down in tears and spilt her romantic tale to Seran, a stranger at the time. Thoroughly moved by her intentions, he had completely changed his trade route for the month. He wasn't even charging her! She was sure he had shed a few tears himself during part of her story.

"Thank you so much. Are you sure you won't take any form of payment?" of course, she didn't particularly want to pay him, but she already knew he would refuse.

"No no, you need that money to find a place to stay. You don't know how long it might take to find him"

There was a limit to how long she could chase her dreams though, and he had reminded her of just that. Her father had given her this chance, but should she be unable to find him or convince him to ask for her hand within a year, she would have to go home and accept an arranged marriage. In order for her father to agree to even this single year, she's had to threaten to chase away all potential suitors with abhorrent actions.

That old man had been pushing her to get married for two years already, but he was reluctant enough at the thought of losing his precious daughter that he had not yet forced the issue. Unfortunately, he was right, she was getting older, finding a spouse would only become more difficult as the years passed. But she couldn't give up on _him_, her valiant knight, not without at least trying to find him.

She had spent the past year researching who he could possibly be. After months she had finally found a clue. The symbol on his belt, she had seen others with that same symbol, running about in white robes, though not nearly as gracefully as _he _had. More arduous research, and quite a bit of googly eyed guilt tripping of strangers bearing that symbol on their own clothes, and she had finally gotten something concrete. Masyaf, the assassin's base of operations. If he was a part if the assassin's, then he would come here. Surely, he would be here for at least a short time during her time limit. Just enough time for her to meet him and utterly dazzle him with her feminine charms, that was all she needed.

Such a small village. Not at all like the crowded atmosphere in acre. Though, it was refreshing, not being shrouded by a cloud of gray. Everything here was so foreign to her, despite being normal things she had seen every day of her life. Houses, hay bales, benches… but the things, the people, here seemed so vibrant, full of life… The people here looked so happy, well-fed, secure. It must be the feeling of adventure, this was her first time outside of Acre, after all. Surely the only difference between Masyaf and Acre was the size of the city, not some storybook joyfulness.

Spotting a friendly looking man walking past, in no hurry to get anywhere, she determined him to be as good a person to ask as any. If she was to get any closer to her goal she needed to get started. "Excuse me, sir, maybe you can help me with something". Seeing his open expression and his willing nod she continued "You see, I'm looking for someone, I don't know his name. I believe he's a member of the assassin brotherhood, he has a very grim looking face, kind of brooding, short, dark hair, tall, muscular… umm… broad shouldered… Do you know anyone like that?"

His expression had, over the course of her description, fallen flat, his eyes achieving a dull stare. "Ah, you do know where you are… right?"

"Of course, the city of Masyaf, home of the assassins." Head tilting of its own accord, she couldn't help feeling a little confused. Was there some sort of problem? Her description was as detailed as she could manage, she had only seen him once and it had been over a year previous.

The man glanced casually around the streets before speaking. "Alright, fine, someone like that. Do you mean the man walking behind you now?" Rapidly spinning around to see a man dressed in white robes pass her, she felt sharp disappointment at seeing it wasn't her true love. Though he did match the description she had given perfectly. Raising his arm, pointing to a tall, muscular, hooded man in front of a merchant stall, her guide continued. "or perhaps you meant the man over there, buying that melon? Maybe that one, feeding the cat?" Another swift jerk of his arm brought her attention to the next man. The cat was adorable, certainly, but the man was obviously not her knight. Hood lowered; he was showing off his much too tanned skin.

"oh, or maybe you were referring to that one on the rooftops?" Yet another man, fitting her exact description, just as the others had, could be seen hopping unsteadily from rooftop to rooftop, just a little way off from their position. "He should be more careful. He's going to hurt himself moving about like that"

A passing stranger also noticed the eccentric assassin up above and was only too ready to make his opinion known. "And when he does, I won't help him" There he went… he had missed his jump and fallen from the edge of a two-story building.

Her original conversation partner spoke up once more. "That's no good… they moved the cart of hay out of that alley the other day if I remember correctly… ah well. He's likely fine. Sturdy bunch and all." He had apparently lost interest in Amali, for her consultant wondered off, making his way to his original destination. Not even bothering to bid Amali goodbye.

Seeing all of these similarly built men, dressed all the same… Amali knew now just how trying her task would be. Minor setbacks like this wouldn't sway her though. She had a mission, and all the beggars in Acre wouldn't be able to keep her from finding him. She just needed a plan…

Before she could think any farther on her situation, her stomach let out a fierce noise of protest. She had forgone lunch that afternoon, choosing instead, to continue her nap. First: she would find herself dinner, then she would find an inn. She had a long wait ahead of her. Toying with the end of her light brown braid, she set off in search of food.

**Acre, one year three months and twenty-seven days prior**

After the assassination was always the second hardest part. The hardest was waiting for the right moment to strike. Altair just got so impatient. Alas, this was about running away. Perhaps if he wouldn't stand there listening to their dying words for so long, he could more easily slip away. Still he remained.

As usual, he was being chased by the guards, bells ringing in the distance, he had managed to cross to the opposite end of the city, yet they continued the chase. He had spent some time sprinting through the streets, but they had managed to keep up. The guards were beginning to employ some rather swift runners. So, he had taken to the rooftops, yet they still managed to keep track of him.

Coated in a film of sweat, despite the cool night air, he finally managed to duck into a rooftop garden without being spotted. Though they grew suspicious enough to look when he had suddenly vanished, only just missing him as he fled from the other side and jumped into a cart full of hay in the alley below. He would wait there, just until they had left. Minutes later, he could hear the man in charge shout orders to search elsewhere.

On his way back to the bureau, as he steadily made his way across the rooftops, Altair could hear the sounds of a disturbance. Another civilian being harassed by guards, no doubt. The distressed cries of a woman confirming his theory. Unfortunately, even he was not cruel enough to leave her at the mercy of the guards, though in his exhausted state he was severely tempted to.

Watching the men corner her against a well from his rooftop vantage point, he could clearly identify that the three men were quite drunk. It was no wonder they had chosen this woman, even from such a distance he could tell, she was quite attractive. Though he would not have been able to clearly define her facial features, both at night and from afar.

His position, while good for spying, was not so conductive to a sneak attack, as he was to the side of the guards and they would no doubt see him, should he jump. Altair spotted a building right behind the guards, it was taller than the one he was currently crouched on, but it should suffice. All he needed to do was jump off after all.

Maneuvering to his chosen spot was no issue, though listening to the guards as they stumbled over challenging each other to various methods of harming the girl was a struggle. The waiting. Always with the waiting. But he could wait no longer, one of the men had grabbed the girl and even gone so far as to slap her. Just as Altair leapt from the building, the clouds shifted, allowing the moon to light up the dark streets. Better to aim his first strike.

"Urgh" That building must have been taller than he initially judged. Hitting the ground hard, with a bit too much weight on his right foot, he couldn't resist grunting in slight pain. There went his surprise attack. All the men had turned to see him now, coated in sweat, still breathing a little heavily from his recent run, and splattered with the blood of his previous target. What a hero.

Altair wasted no time drawing his sword and striking the nearest opponent down, grabbing his head and forcing him to turn before slashing across his neck. He didn't want to give them a chance to fight back, he was far too tired. The second man, the one who had grabbed the girl, still stunned and rather slow from his drinking, didn't even register what Altair had done before his own stomach had been stabbed clean through. Turning to the final enemy, the poor fool had gotten so far as grasping the handle of his own weapon and drawing it by just a couple of inches before the assassin's blade had placed a gaping hole were the man's heart should have been.

Watching as his enemies fell, Altair lamented the further dirtying of his clothing for a moment. Even more stains to remove. Of course, none of the blood would kindly splatter in the same places. It was always a new spot. Perhaps he should have worn the black robes of the mentor instead…

He needed to get back to the bureau before his pursuers caught up to him, he had tarried here long enough. Sparring the young woman he had paused to assist a quick glance, he remained only long enough to mumble "You should leave" before sprinting off toward his hideout.


	6. Every Breath You Take

**Take heart dear bored masses! For I have not yet succumb to the shadow of disease! Tis true! I have however been afflicted with something far worse… the skyrim addiction has once again set in and even taking the time to finish this already half written chapter required extreme willpower. **

While on his usual afternoon stroll, Kaaf had found, to his surprise, that the rest of the village seemed to be joining him. The market was so full of people that he was subconsciously shrinking in on himself, hoping to avoid pushing anyone. But he didn't mind the company, he liked running into people he knew and saying hello. There was one person in particular that he would have loved to find out on the streets.

'_speak of the devil…' _quite a few yards away, Kaaf could see the back of Nasira's head, her familiar braid swaying slightly as people passed behind her. She seemed to have been looking at a selection of colorful shawls before making her way further away from him. There were too many people all converging on that spot at once, he wouldn't be able to catch up, but perhaps she would hear if he called her.

Crispy golden crust, flaking off onto the stranger's chest and hand with every bite taken, the still steaming filling, even from several feet away she could make out the dried herbs dotting the various vegetables, practically falling out they had stuffed it so full. Nasira could smell the spices, drawing her ever closer to the unsuspecting man as he enjoyed his afternoon snack. She would find out where he had gotten that hand pie.

Filling the, normally empty, space near the town gate were numerous stalls and caravans, cramped tightly into whatever space they could find. With the weather growing more favorable for travel, it was no surprise that a flea market had made its way into town, and it seemed the entire village was taking the opportunity to peruse the merchant's wares. To pick that specific stall out of this mess without any direction would probably take at least twenty minutes, if not far longer. And she wanted her snack that very moment. The woman needed that hand pie.

Before the hungry woman could get close enough to ask the man where he had gotten the delectable morsel, she was startled by the faint call of a familiar voice. Kaaf was in the crowd somewhere to her left, and calling her name. Spotting him was no challenge, he was waving his arm above his head like a beacon. Though she found it odd that he was facing away from her, staring intently into the densest part of the crowd, while calling her name.

Had she not heard him after all? He had totally lost sight of her now, the people had closed in around her form, leaving Kaaf rather disheartened. He had been looking forward to browsing the vendors with her. It was no use now; he wouldn't be able to get through that wall of people. If he continued walking, he might see her again somewhere else. Turning around, coming face to face with the very woman he had just seen disappear in the opposite direction, he could do nothing more than blink. Was he seeing things?

"voices tend carry much better if you try to aim them toward the person you want to talk to" The amusement in her voice was clear, though he didn't miss the underlying question in her tone.

"I thought… I saw you over by that stall…" pointing to the aforementioned location, he still couldn't bring himself to quite grasp the situation. Were there perhaps… two Nasiras? Not that he would mind, that would simply mean more chances for him to interact with her.

She made a grand show of scouring the area with her eyes before looking back to him. "Are you sure? I certainly don't see me anywhere." Before Kaaf could respond, Nasira turned back to where she had just been, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open in a gasp, having remembered something of great importance. "No! where did he go?! He got away..."

"Who got aw-"

"Help me find him. We're looking for a short man covered in pastry flakes." Without waiting for a reply, Nasira marched off in the direction the man had been going, expecting Kaaf would follow behind.

More than a little confused, Kaaf managed to ask one of the many questions plaguing his mind. "And why are we looking for this man exactly?" Unfortunately, she was much too busy with her investigation to listen to him.

Three minutes later, Nasira finally gave up her search for the mysterious stranger, without even noticing that her companion hadn't bothered to assist, and instead decided to simply find the source of the pies on her own. More than a little disappointed and quite put out that Kaaf had been the one to distract her, she came to a conclusion. "Since it is your fault he got away, once we find that stall, you'll be buying me a snack."

"Alright then…" Unaware of how it was, indeed, his fault, he left it be. Though, Kaaf wasn't really sure why she was telling him this. When he always offered to pay for her when they went out together regardless, it seemed rather redundant.

Almost two weeks had gone by since Altair had spoken with Nasira and finding an excuse to speak with her again was more challenging than he imagined. They could hardly even be considered acquaintances still, and she was difficult to find outside the kitchens. He had seen her a few times, of course, practically jogging to or from the entrance to the kitchen. Interrupting her when she looked so busy, especially for something insignificant, would have been rude.

Currently, Altair was walking though the market, trying to better his understanding of females. Watching the passing crowds, he listened to their conversations, kept tabs on the things most commonly gazed upon. Even to him this seemed a bit… unconventional, but every mission started with observation and information gathering. Why would this be any different?

As Altair was watching one particular couple, who seemed to be having a very serious discussion about a root vegetable, he heard a sentence that drew his attention behind him. Or, more accurately, the name spoken at the end of the sentence. "Giving a horse alcohol before sending it with an assassin was a bad idea to begin with, I never should have let him talk me into it. You seem quite invested in this hand pie, Nasira. Makes me want one for myself."

Nasira. But she was with an unknown man. There was a slight discomfort that come with that knowledge. She had said herself that she wasn't seeing anyone, but… he would have to look into it himself. While he was at it, he could watch for her interests as well. He was out to get information on women, why not get it straight from the one woman he was concerned with?

Blending in with a group headed in the same direction as Nasira and her escort, he made sure to stay just close enough to listen to their conversation. A word was circulating his thoughts as he trailed after the two._ Stalker_. He quickly put that thought aside. He had no intention of making a habit of this behavior.

Finding her interests would have been simpler had she seemed to be interested in anything at all. However, she merely passed the stalls, glancing at all of them before turning away. She looked almost disappointed as she carried on. Most of the conversation was meaningless drivel. At that very moment, she was complaining to the man with her, Kaaf, as she had called him, about her hands smelling too much of onions and garlic all the time.

The two were so enraptured by their conversation and the sights around them that he had no need of hiding at all. Any maneuvers he made to remain out of sight were purely habitual. What could she have been looking for that would take so much of her attention?

This Kaaf was looking at her with an expression of all too obvious admiration, yet Nasira was somehow quite oblivious to it. Or perhaps she was simply ignoring it. A couple of times he had spotted the boy attempting to grab her hand, or take her arm, but every time she was distracted by a stall or a person walking past and moved out of reach before he could touch her. Each time, he felt oddly amused by the boy's failure.

On one such occasion, Kaaf had very nearly brushed her hand when she once again moved, her arm coming up to wave at a passing woman. The woman, holding a half-eaten hand pie, looked confused at being called out. "Excuse me, but where did you get that?" Nasira gestured to the food in the other woman's hand.

Swallowing the bite she'd just taken, she stumbled over the directions some. "Um, turn left there and go… six… no, seven vendors down the line, on the left"

"Thank you so much." Grabbing Kaaf by the arm, Nasira increased the speed of her pace, to reach her destination. Had she really been searching for a snack this entire time?

Taking the two pies handed to him, Kaaf shifted his gaze to Nasira. "If I give you this does that mean we're on a date?" his playful grin as he waited for her response was a bit irritating to Altair. He couldn't quite explain why but imagining Nasira on a date did not sit particularly well with him. But what would it really matter? He barely knew her; they had only properly spoken once.

However, her almost jovial response quickly alleviated his irritation. "my answer is the same as the last time you bought me something: no. Now hand over the food." Kaaf didn't look too put out by her rejection, Altair could only assume this was a sort of routine for them. At least from the way she had acted, they didn't seem to be courting each other. Though the boy might well be trying to woo her. Not that it would make a difference if she was uninterested.

Following the two any longer would serve only to make Altair more uncomfortable. He could still hear the faint whisper of that word in his mind… _stalker_… No, he was merely trying to ascertain the situation. He had come all this way though, and he was a bit hungry himself… he may as well get one of those pies for himself, see why she had spent so long searching for them. Then he would head back to the castle, he had put off his work long enough.

Altair had gone out. That was…. Unprecedented. The large assassin rarely, if ever, went out for leisure. Malik wanted to know why. So, he had followed Altair through the streets of Masyaf as he had stalked that woman from the kitchen and her partner. Malik couldn't say he was all too shocked at his friend's underhanded methods. What did shock him, was how easily he had managed to tail the other man.

'_He must be losing his edge. Maybe he's already becoming domesticated'_

Attempting to push Altair and that woman together had started as nothing more than a joke, yet the man had taken it quite seriously, it seemed. If given the chance, Malik supposed, he could try to help Altair with this endeavor. Perhaps he could entertain himself with it. Altair was too much of a workaholic and didn't pass on enough of his own work to allow Malik much to keep occupied with. Even after all this time, he never had learned how to share responsibility.

Convincing himself it was for the sake of the brotherhood, Altair would burn out and put everyone at risk if work was all he had in life, Malik began his scheming. But before anything else… he too wanted one of those pies.


	7. We Can Work It Out

**This took longer than intended. While I have been moderately busy, it's mostly because I know where I want to go, but I don't know how to get from this point to the start of what I have planned. It took me a very long time just to figure out what to write for this chapter. I probably changed my idea about 27 times.**

**Anyway, I really appreciate all the people who have taken the time to read this and, I admit, whenever I get the notifications about reviews or people favoriting or alerting, my heart gets the fuzzy feels.**

**And for Lilyannenora, I know this is a little late to satisfy on the spot cravings, but sorry, I had nothing in particular in mind. If anything, it would have been something like a pie crust (or puff pastry if you want it to be really flaky and buttery) stuffed with vindaloo, or any other style of curry really.**

Sitting within visual range of the entrance to the assassin's castle, trying to appear as casual as possible, Amali watched those coming and going, looking for the object of her affection. All the while sneaking glimpses at the handsome guard to the left of the gate. He might not have been who she was looking for, but his face was as fine as they come. Luscious, curly hair, framing a chiseled jaw and large, masculine eyes, practically glittering with vigilance. Occasionally, she thought he had glanced at her. Out of suspicion that she had been resting there, only just managing not to stare at him, for over an hour, or with a more personal interest, she could only guess.

Amali had been growing more desperate to find her man with each passing day, her funds were rapidly running out due to living at an inn and having to buy her meals from the inn, rather than cook for herself, for almost three weeks. Even the discounts she had been given for her friendly demeanor and her prolonged stay were no longer giving her the feeling of security she'd had before. So far, the only idea she's had was to wait outside the fortress. He had to leave eventually; he couldn't stay locked away in there forever.

Just as Amali was about to stand to leave, it was after lunch time and her stomach was grumbling incessantly, she spotted a young woman practically jogging through the gate. The moment she made it though, however, she stopped, just out of the gatekeepers' view, to catch her breath and started to relax slightly. But the color in her cheeks was slow to fade, even after her breathing evened out.

* * *

Another day, done and over with. There was some unexplained mess in the usual path she would take to the servants exit, so all the workers were told to use the main entrance until it could be dealt with. Rumors of what it could be had been running rampant all morning. Some people claimed to have gone to check only to find a big, gruff guard blocking the hallway. Stories ranged from things such as a drunken assassin violently assaulting a servant out of rage, or a previously injured man collapsing, to an illness stricken, madwoman being quarantined in the hall until she could be removed safely.

None of the stories held any particular merit. As far as Nasira was concerned, it was likely just a renovation. The floor had been getting rather rough and almost hazardous in the last months, several of the less graceful, or older workers had complained of tripping on uneven stones. Nasira herself had stubbed her toes on jutting stones a few times.

So, out the front entrance, past the assassin's training pit, she would have to go. Just hearing the clang of swords from the mock fights taking place outside was enough to make her hesitate before the door to the courtyard. But Nasira couldn't stand there all day, she didn't have any plans to rush her, it would just be such a waste of time staying there.

Stepping out into the overly bright courtyard, the blaring sun was only made worse by all the polished metal blades reflecting its light. Thumping and clanging sounds of various weapons hitting each other or being thrown into training dummies, along with the sound of deep shouting from the trainers to their students, as they pointed out faults, filled the area.

In the middle of the yard stood a round fence in which a battle was being held. Two young boys were being pitted against one another in, less than deadly, combat. The wooden swords thumping away as neither could land a hit on anything except the other's practice sword. The man mediating the fight could be heard yelling "Come on boys! They aren't even real blades! You don't have the muscle to inflict a mortal wound with a hunk of wood, so stop hesitating!"

Nasira only made it a few steps before all the other sounds melted into the background in favor of a strong voice shouting _that_ name. "Clear the pit! Altair is going to show us how a real man fights!"

Another man, presumably Altair's opponent, as he was climbing over the fence himself, quickly answered the call "This isn't a demonstration. This is a personal duel." Even knowing how ruthless and cruel the assassins could be, Nasira was still stunned to see this man draw a very sharp, very real, sword from the sheath on his waist to fight his own comrade.

Altair, walking over from where he had been leaning against the wall, simply jumped the fence and drew his own blade, without a word. It wasn't long before the two were slashing and hacking away at each other, narrowly blocking attacks that looked dangerously close to hitting flesh, and weaving around each other, searching for openings.

For a moment Nasira could no longer move forward, because nearly everyone in the courtyard had rushed toward the edge of the pit to watch the fight, young boys crowded around the mentors to listen to their comments, hoping to pick up something they could use. The older men ran over to make bets on who might be the victor. Even some of the other servants, though more reserved in their excitement, made their way over to watch the battle.

Doing everything in her power to keep her eyes off the fight, Nasira began to make her way toward the gate once more. Unfortunately, halfway there she was stopped by a one-armed man, dressed in the customary black robes of the scholars, blocking her path. Before she could even shift to walk around him, he had opened his mouth, addressing her by name. "Your name is Nasira isn't it? Not interested in watching the fight?"

The one-armed assassin, Malik Al-Sayf, second in command of the brotherhood and one of the most respected men among them. Nasira wondered if he often spent time casually conversing with random servants before she thought to question why he already knew her name. "No I… they look like they're taking this fight too seriously. What if… wouldn't it be a problem if one of them got hurt?"

"If one of them gets hurt?" His face shifted into mock consideration for only a moment. "That's just how it goes here. we get injured, then we learn not to make the same mistake again. Battle is a part of our lives. We have to take it seriously, otherwise our lives would be quite short."

She couldn't help the bitterness surging within her. War, fighting, all it brought was bloodshed, grief, and death. Just like the war that took her father from her… Why should all these people throw away people's lives so easily? His tone made it seemed more like throwing away an old toy than a human life. What purpose did it even serve? To kill one person merely leads to retaliation and the death of another. An endless cycle of bloodshed.

"But… why must you spill blood? Why can't you try to reach a peaceful conclusion? These people you kill… they have families, friends…" the thought of her own father, fighting, dying in a war for a cause he hadn't even believed in, was overwhelming her ability to form whole ideas with which to secure her argument.

Despite her vague reasoning, Malik seemed to have some understanding of what she was getting at. "The people we kill… are often beyond peaceful conclusions. They want to take away our freedom to rule our own minds, the very thing that makes us human." He looked comfortable with this speech, as though he had given it many times. Perhaps he had, explaining to the young new recruits that they weren't just playing assassin, they were there for a cause. "We do not take life for our own amusement. We take the lives of men who would use their power to control us. We kill to protect people like you, who would be completely helpless before the weapons they use."

Nasira felt somewhat indignant about the last comment, but he didn't look like he was trying to offend her. He had said it with no malice, no joking grin, simply stated it as fact. And she couldn't deny that, with what she had seen even just in her hometown, she would be helpless against the things these assassins fought every day.

Ever the observer, Malik could see the slight shake in her hands and thought it best to leave the topic before she got too worked up. He knew he had said enough regardless, her downturned eyes and the crease in her brow led him to believe that she was truly contemplating his words.

After a few moments of the lull in the conversation, Nasira glanced up at Malik to notice he was looking towards the match going on before them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Opening his mouth to shout out to the fighters, he couldn't restrain the bit of amusement in his tone. "Stop playing around and finish him off already Altair, you're making the lady worry!"

Hearing his name, Altair looked over just in time to see Nasira standing next to Malik, flustered and not looking the least bit happy at having been called out for her concern over the men. Was she really worried about him? He had to know, to ask her himself, and Malik was right, he had drawn the fight out long enough.

Newly energized, Altair's assault on his opponent became all the more vicious, his speed and strength improving just enough to claim an advantage. Not even thirty seconds after Malik had called out, Altair had pinned the other assassin to the ground, sword pointed to his neck, clearly victorious, and jumped the fence around the pit to meet Malik and Nasira.

By the time Altair had stopped next to Malik, Nasira had completely disappeared from sight. Malik was left, stunned, staring in the direction of the front gate. "Apparently she doesn't take kindly to my humor. Just what did you do to make her run away from you so quickly Altair?"

"You? Telling jokes? No wonder she ran off. That must have been terrifying." Despite his desire to follow after her, Altair held himself back.

"Of all people, you are the last one I want dismissing my humor. Have you ever laughed? Even once in your life? Because I certainly haven't heard one from you"

"Perhaps I just find your presence too draining to be mirthful." Even in the midst of their banter, Altair couldn't stop staring at the gate, thinking of the girl who had just run off. "Was she really worried about me?" He hadn't meant to let that slip out… especially in front of Malik.

* * *

Nasira couldn't believe it. After such a serious conversation, that man had gone and made such a ridiculous claim for everyone in the courtyard to hear. Worried about either of those men… She simply didn't like the idea of people getting hurt over something so pointless as fighting each other.

Taking her time to relax, knowing there was no reason for anyone to have followed her, she let her breathing even out before moving from her spot against the wall. After a few moments, despite the feeling of warmth lingering in her cheeks, Nasira began walking down the slope toward her home. Only a few steps in, she came face to face with a young woman with a pretty face and light brown hair pulled back.

"You look a little flustered, are you alright?" The girl, who couldn't be older than 20, started examining the older woman in front of her. Before giving her a chance to answer, she continued. "Do you work here in the castle or something? I don't see many people not wearing those white robes coming out of the gate. Not that I've been watching or anything, I just like sitting here. The view of the town is nice from up here."

A little overwhelmed by the quick ramblings of the girl, Nasira could only nod. Another onslaught of words soon followed her lackluster response. "What is it like in the castle? They don't let anyone inside without a reason. I wanted to go in before because I heard a lot of loud sounds, like there was fighting going on inside. I've heard about the assassins a lot since I've been in town, I'm a traveler by the way. I'm visiting with a secret mission." At this her eyes narrowed a little and her lips tightened. "But you don't need to worry about that."

"Anyway, I've heard the assassins are supposed to be amazing fighters, I even saw one once. He took out three armed guards right in front of me, in no time at all. I'd love to be able to watch them practice. Oh! I know, why don't we chat for a while? I'll buy you lunch from the inn I'm staying at! You can tell me all about what it's like working in the castle!"

Even as tired as she was, Nasira couldn't turn down someone so excited, and she was already hungry, why refuse a free meal? "Um, alright. I'm Nasira. What's your name?"

"I'm Amali. It's a pleasure to meet you." This could be the perfect opportunity. What she would spend on this one meal would be nothing compared to this investment's worth if Amali's intuition was correct. Befriending this woman might very well be the key to finding her true love.


End file.
